The invention relates generally to computer-implemented, voice messaging systems.
Today there are many different commercially available electronic devices which assist people in communicating which each other. In addition to the ubiquitous telephone that has been around for decades, there are also cordless phones for the home, mobile phones for the car, handheld wireless phones which fit into the user's pocket, pagers, local and wide area computer networks, and facsimile machines just to name a few. The number and variety of such devices continues to grow. Thus, there is also an growing need to find effective ways to coordinate and handle the electronic communications that such devices make possible.
One system which addresses this growing need is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/316,635, entitled, "A Network Based Knowledgeable Assistant", filed Sep. 30, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,652,789, and incorporated herein by reference. The system described therein is referred to as an electronic assistant. It is a computer-implemented entity that assists a user (referred to as a subscriber) with his or her communications by carrying out certain tasks that are delegated to it. This electronic assistant, modeled to have human-like qualities, recognizes speech and performs functions within the familiar model of an office.
Each subscriber who has an account is assigned at least one electronic assistant which may be dedicated or shared. The electronic assistant offers services to both the subscriber and to any contacts or other callers trying to reach the subscriber. A contact is a person, place, or group that the subscriber has described for the electronic assistant. A contact can be another subscriber or an outside caller. Electronic assistants treat both subscribers and contacts as users of the system.
The electronic assistant offers a wide range of services to its subscribers, among which are the following. The electronic assistant can handle incoming calls from several of the subscriber's personal contacts while at the same time it is doing any of its tasks, including reviewing messages with the subscriber, managing information, etc. It can make logical decisions about how to manage, whether to forward, and where to forward the incoming calls from the subscriber's contacts. The electronic assistant can also communicate with the subscriber and the subscriber's contacts using a wide variety of different communication devices, such as telephones, fax machines, pagers, computer terminals, and communications enabled handheld devices (e.g. Personal Digital Assistants otherwise referred to as PDA's). When the subscriber tries to reach a contact or a contact tries to reach the subscriber, the electronic assistant mediates the connection and then remains available to add value to the session. The electronic assistant can schedule and manage reminders for its subscriber. When reminders come due, the electronic assistant notifies the subscriber.
Though such systems represent a significant advance in the field and provide great convenience and benefit to the users, there is still substantial room for improvement. The invention described herein represents a further extension of the technology represented in part by the above-described electronic assistant.